Senate Confirms Thomas Perez as Labor Secretary

Party-Line Vote Underscores Divide Over Nomination

WASHINGTON—The Senate confirmed Thomas Perez, a top Justice Department official, as the next U.S. labor secretary, in a party-line vote of 54-46 that underscores the partisan divide over Mr. Perez and his qualifications to steer workplace regulation in a way that helps the economy.

The confirmation was part of the deal that Senate Democratic leaders struck with Republicans to fast-track confirmations of a handful of nominees. Mr. Perez, who heads the Justice Department's civil-rights division, has faced strong opposition...